Girls Can Sell Papes Too!
by xXxLadyFreakyStyleyxXx
Summary: Emery finds herself fresh out of the Bronx and into Manhattan peddling papers, trying to help her father make ends meet. Wanting to be on equal playing field with the others, she dresses as a boy, goes to work, and keeps to herself. Unfortunately, her secret gets into the worst of hands; Jack Kelly. It should be bad but, things aren't always as they seem. [DavidxOC] Enjoy! :P
1. Chapter 1

**Girls Can Sell Papes Too!**  
A Newsies Fanfiction

It was going to be a major heat wave this summer and Emery McKlenahan was not looking forward to it considering her job consisted of her lugging newspapers all over Manhattan. She was lucky she hadn't developed enough yet _and_ that her father didn't mind her wearing loose boy clothing as well as wrapping her chest and stuffing her already short hair into a flat cap. They really needed the money since her father broke his hand in his exhibition match. He'd be out of the job for at least six months and the family could not afford to live solely off of her uncle's income.

For some reason the people who ran this particular distribution center didn't feel too comfortable allowing a girl to do a newsie's job, a boy's job, before she could get a word out to defend herself. So after she botched her first attempt to sell papes, she dressed herself up as a boy and hoped the chubby old man who ran the distribution stand wouldn't recognize her. Luckily for her, he didn't and she was able to get her papes and be on her way. The hardest part of the job was avoiding the rest of the boys that showed up to get their papes. If she wasn't careful she'd lose her job and there was no way in hell she was gonna coop herself up in a sweat shop.

The only reason she hadn't gone straight there for a job was because the prospect of being crammed in a hot, ill-ventilated room with dozens of other girls making shoes or clothes or whatever made her sick just thinking about it. Being a newsie was great because even though you had a quota to fill and the city could be dangerous, you were free to go where ever you wanted and being outside all day was just a plus. You just had to keep on your toes and know when to keep your mouth shut and Emery was smart enough to stay out of trouble. There was one thing that had been consistently hard for her to deal with; it's name was Jack Kelly and his gang of idiots.

Emery wasn't the type of person to be naturally inclined to condescension but when it came to Jack and his friends she couldn't help it. Sometimes they just acted like idiots and she couldn't help but think to herself every now and again that she was glad she wasn't attached to him in any way, particularly like his friend David. He seemed to get dragged into all of Jack's schemes, even the ones that didn't end very well for anyone. So, naturally she avoided these guys the most because she needed to avoid any attention at all costs, lest she be discovered as a girl. Attempts were made, but unfortunately they were futile.

Emery didn't have any difficulties going unnoticed by the rest of the newsies, it was reasonable considering how many of them came in to get papes everyday. For some reason though, she had managed to get on Jack's radar after the first two weeks of summer. She was minding her own business and had gotten her fifty papes like she did every morning but right as she was about to set out into the city someone grabbed her arm. Upon turning to see her supposed aggressor she couldn't help the sudden doom that seemed to befall her.

She looked up to her utter horror and saw Jack Kelly looking down at her with an inquisitive brow raised that could only mean trouble for her. Clearing her throat, she kept his gaze so she didn't seem too squeamish in front of the veteran newsie.

"You've been around for a while kid, how come you don't ever talk to any of us huh?" He asked with suspicion plain in his voice as he still grasped her arm.

She yanked it out of his grip and tried to walk away only to be confronted with two more newsies from his crew, she recognized them as Kid Blink and Racetrack. _This is a bit not good, not good at all._

"Cowboy asked you a question kid." Racetrack reiterated, his attempt at intimidation almost working.

Emery swallowed lightly out of fear as she realized she was trapped. Blink and Race blocked her exit and Jack and his friend David blocked her entry. She didn't want to speak because although she had been practicing her boy voice it still sounded too girly to sound convincing at all. There was only one way out; she was gonna have to fake muteness. Sure it wasn't her best idea but it was going to have to work for now.

_Here goes nothing._

Emery motioned to her throat and then made a sweeping motion with her hand across her neck. They stared at her skeptically while she stood their hoping one of them would get the picture. It didn't look like that was gonna happen considering that no one was making a move to let her pass. In her desperation she did the motion again and repeatedly pointed at her throat.

Then, like the voice of an angel, Jack's friend David finally relayed what she had been trying to say through her crappy impromptu sign language.

"I think,…I think he's mute Jack." He said, hesitating for moment as Emery nodded in confirmation.

"Mute? What, so he can't talk or nothin'?" Jack inquired, curiously.

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his incompetence. _That's what mute means you moron._

"That's what mute means." David said matter-of-factly.

Emery blinked at his response and felt something go through her that she didn't quite recognize at first so she brushed it off as amusement and smiled cheekily, forgetting her surroundings. Before she could even try and 'sign' something else she was grabbed by the front of her shirt and tugged toward Kelly.

"Do I amuse you kid?" He asked, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Emery's breathing quickened and she prayed to God that she had wrapped her chest tightly enough today as she found herself in his grip once more.

"Hey relax Jack, let him go he didn't mean no harm." David objected, trying to diffuse the situation.

Jack eyed Emery one more time before letting her go and crossing his arms in non-chalance. _Geez, what a hot-head._ She thought as she rubbed her sternum where he had gripped her shirt. It seemed like this David kid was the only one of them that had any sense. She backed away from him a few steps but also minded her distance from Blink and Racetrack. This was getting tedious, she had a job to do and this was a waste of her time.

In a last attempt to free herself from this make-shift interrogation she decided to do the classic fake out. She looked past Jack and David and widened her eyes as she frantically pointed behind them. They flinched at the sudden rapid movement and turned quickly. Now was her chance. While Blink and Racetrack were distracted she slipped in between them and ran into the out of the gates of the distribution center and out into the streets.

She could hear Kid Blink and Jack and Racetrack call after her and she ran even faster when she heard their hurried footfalls as they followed after her. Emery wasn't one to brag but she out-shined all the kids in her old neighborhood in the Brooklyn when it came to running so out running these chumps couldn't have been too hard to do. She was also very nimble because of how skinny and light footed she was, something her dad had made sure she accomplished when they moved into this neighborhood. Just as she thought she was losing them she hit something small that knocked her flat on her butt.

"Ow!" A small voice complained with a thud.

Emery shook her head and looked up to see a small boy on the concrete with her. He was a newsie too, she recognized him as David's kid brother. She looked around to see her papes in a somewhat neat stack but thanked God that they were even still in a stack. Scooping them up hurriedly and jumping to her feet she took off running past the boy without so much as an apology and into an alley with a ladder hanging off the side of the building. The mingled voices of the younger boy and the older newsies made her nervous as she grasped the ladder with one arm and tried to maintain the death grip she had on her newspapers. Hurried foot steps and shouts of 'hey! kid!' only made her go faster as her foot caught the first rung of the ladder and she all but clawed her way to the top.

Once at the top she slumped down onto the roof and let herself lean beside the wall, her chest heaving as she sucked in precious oxygen. After she caught her breath she noticed that the sun was starting to rise higher into the sky which meant she had wasted too much time playing keep away with a bunch of doofuses. Emery stood up slowly and peeked over the edge to see the alley way was empty but she knew better than to risk another confrontation so she walked to the other side of the roof and shimmied down a drain pipe and went out into the street again. She sighed heavily as she began the usual call of 'extra! extra!' in the best boy voice she could manage, trying to peddle whatever crap headline she had been given that day.

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**ahgeez. there it is. oh gawd.  
Don't worry though its not a shoving girl power down your throat kind of story(and if you're into that sorry bout that .-.)  
...Ok yeah there it is lol  
****I just love this movie so much(and I don't usually like musicals :p)  
****the newsies are such good babs c:  
Hope you stick around **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

She had wasted a lot of time but she managed to sell all her papes by near half past eight at night. Luckily she didn't run into any of the other newsies during her route and hoped it would stay that way as she went back home with her pay in her pocket.

_Thirty five lousy cents, I hope this is enough for the old man and me._

"Hey kid!" A familiar voice called out to her.

She turned and grimaced visibly as Jack Kelley ran after her, alone thankfully, but still there. Emery opted to out run him again and this time with out her papers to weigh her down she could probably lose him a lot more easily than before. She ran down the street and knocked over some empty crates near a restaurant but to her astonishment he leaped over the mess and managed to keep up with her. He was persistent, she'd give him that. However, she wasn't going to give him too much credit, she still had to lose him and for that to happen she would have to outsmart him.

Turning the corner she analyzed the new street in front of her in seconds flat before devising a plan. Emery immediately noticed the police carriage parked right beside the bookstore, and more importantly the bookstore's awning. Before she could think about the risk of coming within ten feet of a police carriage, she was already sneaking past the police officer and crouching low next to one of the large wooden wheels. _Gotta be fast._Jack had rounded the corner but thankfully he hadn't spotted her yet.

If she could time it just right, she could jump onto of the carriage cart roof and make it onto the awning and go from there. She took a quick peek to see if the police man was still occupied and her hopes were confirmed, he was. Just as she was about to climb atop the carriage she made eye contact with Jack across the street and froze for a moment. He frantically urged her to depart from the carriage with his expressions as well as the subtle movement of his hands. At least he didn't want her to get caught.

She shook her head and disregarded the warning as she climbed atop the carriage. She crouched low on the roof so as not to attract any immediate attention but as soon as she stood to move to the awning she was caught.

"You get down from there boy!" A gruff voice shouted up at her.

Emery wasted no time in leaping to the awning, gripping the dull striped fabric like her life depended it which it very well could have. Once on the awning she crawled toward a window seal and leapt inside to find herself in a hallway with many doors. _An apartment building?_ The bookstore owner must live here too and share the building with the tenants. The red head nimbly ran through the halls and up the stairs, avoiding curious tenants and eventually made it to the roof. Once outside she leaned against the door and let herself breath for moment and let out a sigh of relief for successfully losing Jack.

"Thank goodness." She breathed, maybe now she could finally go home without any trouble.

After resting for a little bit and catching her breath, she wondered to the side of the building and looked down onto the busy square to find the police officer had left. Seeing an opportunity to get back on the streets Emery went to the door way that led back into the building only to find that it was locked. She kicked the door and cursed inwardly as she looked around to find another way down. She didn't see any drain pipes so maybe there was a ladder or a fire escape. _Thank GOD._

She had found a fire escape on the other side of the building behind some clothes lines and started climbing down in an instant. Once she slipped down the railing and onto the metal grate of the stairs she didn't hesitate descending down them toward the ladder that would eventually lead her to the ground again where she could hopefully slip back into the streets unnoticed. When she landed on the ground she let out a sigh of relief that was sucked right back in as she turned to see freaking Jack Kelley looking at her with an amused expectancy in his eyes.

"You're good kid, but I'm afraid I gotta tell you...that _I _am waaay better."

The newsgirl was so frustrated with all the trouble she had been getting from this guy she couldn't stand it any more and her irritation burst out of her all at once. She shoved the older newsie as hard as she could and didn't feel bad when a look of confusion and shock was cast over his features as he stumbled backward a little bit from the force of the blow.

"Just bug off already!" Her regret was immediate and the fear began to grow as she clapped a hand over mouth.

She had blown her cover, not only did she extinguish her previous ruse about being mute but that shout was unmistakably a girl's. Jack's eyes widened as he jogged to a stop in front of her. The younger newsie started to back away, ready to run again when Jack put up his hands to stop her.

"Wait, hold on girly I'm not lookin' for trouble or nuttin' I just wanna talk." He offered gently, astonishing her to no end.

She had no idea Jack Kelly could be so polite and accommodating, it had to be some kind of trap. Realizing she had no reason to conceal her secret now that he clearly knew she was a girl she let out an exasperated sigh and looked down in defeat.

"What do you want?" She asked tiredly as she took off her cap, freeing two small bright auburn braids.

Jack paused as she confirmed his earlier suspicions. He knew something was off about him, well _her_ now, when he noticed she wouldn't come near any of the newsies when they went to pick up their papers. Everyday she would be their bright and early and one of the first people in the line to get her papers and one of the first ones to be out of distribution and get straight to work without so much as a word to anyone.

"I just wanted to give you a proposal is all."

He analyzed her reaction in great detail to try and gauge her decision. Her brows were furrowed in interest but there was hesitation and suspicion present as well. Her crystalline blue eyes flitted from place to place, almost as if she was watching him the same way he was watching her and for the same purpose. Now that he really got a look at her face he could have slapped himself for not realizing she was a girl sooner. She had, boyish features but her facial structure was too delicate to be a boy's.

For instance one thing he noticed were her rounded cheeks that dipped into a soft jaw line in place of a sturdy, firm one like that of a boy's. Her face was kind of dirty but it wasn't enough to hide the long lashes and small mouth that he now noticed as well.

"A...proposal?" Emery asked, not trying to hide the blatant tentativeness in her tone.

"Yeah, to join our gang." He continued in a weird tone, almost as if he were planning something else in his head as he spoke to her.

Emery gasped quickly and tried not to let the color rush to her freckled cheeks at the offer. What could she possibly have done to raise this kind of interest in her from Jack Kelley of all people. Obviously she had not been as covert as she thought she had if he had been thinking about making this kind of offer to her. As she tried to sift through his expression to get a read on his real intentions she found it difficult because of how well guarded he was. His olive green eyes were shifty and promiscuous, not all giving her anything to go off of or allowing her to determine whether or not he was serious. It looked like she was going to have to entertain him some more to get the answers to her questions.

"Why?" She inquired further.

Sure she was flattered and all but in this city, it helped to stay on your toes and with this particular situation that's exactly what Emery was going to do. A pretty face like Jack's could be hiding many secrets and she had a feeling he was the kind of guy you could trust as far as you could throw him, which for her wasn't very far at all.

"Well, for a new guy we couldn't help but notice you started with fifty papes right off the bat on your first day peddling papers. I had my doubts, ya know, whether or not you could actually pull it off."

_Of course, _She rolled her eyes and let him continue.

"But when you walked on by the distribution center, empty handed and all, day after day, we figured you might have what it takes to be in our gang..."

He watched her carefully for her reaction which he couldn't really classify in the dim light of the street and her own passiveness. It irritated him a little that she had remained so skeptical through out their whole conversation. However, it didn't change the fact that he was indeed telling her the truth. If he had to be honest, she had initially impressed him with her work ethic. Day by day she slowly but surely piqued his interest until he decided that it would be good idea to finally invite her into the gang, although now...

"Not anymore though, huh?" She finished for him, crossing her arms.

He shook himself out of his musings and looked at her dumbfounded. "Wha-"

"You know, 'cos I'm a girl."

Jack paused cautiously before responding. "Well yeah it does sorta' complicate things now."

He wasn't going to lie to her. The guys weren't exactly going to be jumping for joy at the prospect of a girl joining their gang, let alone comfortable. Emery sighed and put her cap back on, not bothering to stuff her braids back into it, and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"I understand, just leave me alone from now on ok? I can't afford to waste my time dodging you bozos."

She was about to walk away when he interjected once more.

"Hold on girly, I ain't finished!" He caught up to her so they could stand face to face.

She tried to keep it together as he towered over her but somehow she couldn't help the feeling that she'd make a fool out of herself so she settled for just keeping her arms crossed. He admired her zeal, it had played a large factor and coming up with the decision he was about to make.

"If you can keep up this mute act, I'd still like you to join the gang. We could use somebody like you."

Emery's heart felt like it was about to burst. She couldn't believe this guy still wanted her to join their gang. Sure, there was the occasional newsgirl on the streets but they never joined any of the gangs in town. They usually kept to themselves just like she had been doing because newsboys would either patronize them or harass them which is why Emery had decided to dress up like a boy _and _keep to herself. She had really been wanting to make new friends since she moved here anyways and since she was working all day she couldn't do it at school so she settled for solitude as a small price to pay for supporting her family.

"Um, hello?" Jack said, waving a hand in front of her face to see if she had 'checked out' on him.

She shook her head and looked up at him and nodded.

"Really?" He asked again.

She nodded again with a grin but it faltered when she realized something. He knew she was a girl and now so would everyone else and that made her feel sick to her stomach as she pictured the next six months in her head as a news_girl_. Her face must've shown some of her worry because Jack started to become a little concerned as her eyes flitted from place to place as she remained in her thoughts.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked carefully.

She looked up at him and frowned. This was not going to be an easy task. Who's to say the other boys in his gang wouldn't have a problem with a becoming a part of the group? Some of the other newsies were very adamant about their opinions of girls joining newsie gangs and didn't hesitate to voice their objections to the very thought. Sure, Jack was a highly revered newsie in the Manhattan sect of newsies but she doubted it was enough to convince a bunch of the jerks to let her through their barriers so easily. So now he knew, and so would every other newsie in Manhattan.

"You know." She mumbled in defeat.

He looked at her curiously before she let out a groan of despair and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand.

"You know that I'm a girl! Now everybody's gonna treat me different and I _won't_ be able to get as many papes as I have been and I _won't_ make enough money and then my uncle will have to get a _second _job and-"

The older newsie grabbed her shoulders and shook her out of her rant, and also to get her to shut up so he could get a word in edge wise.

"Don't you worry, I won't tell nobody." He assured her.

She blinked at him in astonishment and urged herself to speak despite her speechlessness. "How can I trust you?"

He laughed at her doubt before spitting into his hand and offering to her to shake on it. Emery looked at it for a moment before shrugging inwardly and spitting into her own hand so they could shake on it. He grinned at her and shook his head.

"I didn't think you were going to do it," He laughed again. "That makes you manlier than my friend Davey, how sad."

Emery couldn't help but giggle at the statement, given the irony of it all. She was use to that kind of stuff and it's not like it was that big a deal. Back in Ireland she had made herself blood brothers with an old school mate right before she had left for America with her father so a little saliva didn't bother her.

"So, what's your name girly?" He asked as they started to walk down the street.

"Emery, Emery McKlenahan."

The older newsie pondered something before his eyes lit up like he had just come up with an idea. She raised a brow at his sudden change in expression. It was interesting to her, the way his eyes seemed to light up like that so quickly.

"We could call you Hotfoot, or maybe Thumper. Ya know, considering how easily you were able to lose us this morning."

Emery's nose crinkled in distaste as the nicknames puttered around in her head. Jack laughed at her reaction and shook his head. They weren't his best nicknames but she had been so fast and nimble they only seemed fitting as first choices, but judging by her facial expression they weren't very good contenders as he had thought.

"Geez, you hate 'em that much?"

She laughed and shook her head with an entertained smile on her thin, pink lips.

"I don't _hate _them, but why don't you just call me Emery for now."

Jack nodded. "It sorta sounds like a boy's name, so I think you'll be good."

Emery didn't realize she had subconsciously led him to her home until they arrived at the doorstep of her apartment building. _Crud, now this weirdo knows where I live. As if it wasn't bad enough he found out I'm a girl. I really need to keep my secrets better._The red head let out a small breath and rolled her eyes at her own incompetence. It'd be fine though, she hadn't trusted Jack at first but hopefully he was telling her the truth when he promised to guard her secret.

"Well I better get inside before my dad skins me for stayin' out so late." She mentioned awkwardly as she walked up the front step.

"Sure, sure. I'll see you tomorrow gir- I mean, Emery." He corrected mid-sentence, scratching the back of his head.

She let out a light laugh as she shook her head and opened the door to the building. "Get home safe, Cowboy."

Jack raised a brow as she called him by his nickname but settled for grinning instead of making a wise crack.

"Sure thing, Hotfoot." He teased.

Emery rolled her eyes and went inside leaving the newsie with a dopey grin on his face. It was refreshing to meet a newsgirl that had some wits about her. All the other newsgirls usually just kept to themselves and avoided him and the other newsboys like they were the plague, well, in the rare cases that he ever saw one. He couldn't really blame them, newsgirls were never really taken seriously and that's probably why Emery had tried so hard to look like a boy. He just hoped she was convincing enough for the others.

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**Sooooo this one's a little longer than the last one, sorry about that .-.  
I figured Jack should find out first cuz he's had secrets of his own so he would actually be understanding enough to keep his mouth shut.  
Next chapter though, well all I can say is I hope it's twisty enough for you! ;P  
Thanks for the read! Hope you continue c:**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Emery woke up the next morning with a sore chest and a foreboding feeling as a pretty good guess of what it was from hovered in the back of her head. She couldn't keep doing this but if she didn't, they wouldn't eat and she couldn't have that. Her father needed to keep his physique in good shape if he was gonna get back in the ring after this and that meant he needed to keep a habit of eating good meals. After she wrapped her chest, much to her discomfort, her uncle knocked on the door as she buttoned her shirt and strapped on her suspenders.

"Emery," He began in a tone that was all to familiar.

"Don't say it Liam." She interrupted, pulling on her boots.

"I have to do my part otherwise he won't be healthy enough to go back into the ring."

The older man sighed and leaned against her doorway with his arms crossed, an uneasy look strewn across his face as he watched her get ready for another day of hawking the papers. He knew he couldn't stop her from doing this but he had to at least try. It wasn't easy to watch your fifteen year old niece go out into Manhattan dressed as a boy so she could scrape for pennies in the streets.

"You shouldn't _have_ to be doing anything but goin' to school like ye was." He said.

Emery bit her lip before steeling herself and putting on her flat cap, making sure the majority of her hair was securely stuffed into it. She turned to look at him but before she could say anything snarky about his previous statement she frowned a little at the pained look in his eyes. Her uncle Liam had jumped at the mention of housing her and her father when he heard they were looking for a place to stay. Their other house had to be put up for rent to a tennant that could pay for it instead of Emery's father who didn't have a penny to spare after the money from his last fight before the injury had run out. She had nothing to say to that, what could she?

She gave him a quick kiss good-bye before heading out the door and downstairs. After that little bit of theater there was no way she could've faced her father and left the house with a good conscience. Once she was out in the street she felt a little more confident in her decision and walked a mite brisker as she rounded the corner of her street and headed toward the distribution center. Other newsies were outside too, going the same way she was but she stayed far away from them and pulled her cap further down her brow. However, she was looking for Jack as she pulled back from the rest of the wondering boys.

Emery couldn't help but hope that he would make good on his offer today. She was hoping that maybe he really _wasn't _ messing with her and that it actually _did _happen and that she hadn't dreamt it. When it had happened, she knew it was too good to be true. The great Jack Kelly; former strike leader and proclaimed leader of the Manhattan newsie sect. There was no way in hell he would offer her, a girl, the kind of offer he gave her last night and make good on it without some sort of catch or an unseen string.

_It'd be better to just go about my business. If he shows up, he shows up. If he doesn't….well he can go-_

The very loud and sudden toll of the cirulation bell jolted Emery out of her thoughts and she tensed her shoulders as boys flew past her to flock into the distribution center. She cursed inwardly as she started jogging toward the gates, she couldn't believe she let herself dawdle like that! This was not a good way to start out the morning. Once inside the line had grown fast and almost stretched out to where she stood near the gate. She took a place in line before it could get any longer and pulled her cap down even more.

She was completely surrounded by the other newsies and so frightened by it that she thought her heart was gonna leap out of her throat at any minute. The one thing she was afraid of happening was that some of the newsies would get curious and try to talk to her and that once they got a good look at her they would find her out. Being in this kind of situation where there was nowhere for her to hide made her queasy with anxiety. All she could think of in the moment was how awful it would be if she got caught, but more dominantly, how much she _needed_ this job.

Maybe if she found Jack things wouldn't be so bad, he didn't care if she as a girl and he even promised to keep her secret. Or, so he had told her. How was she suppose to know if he'd kept his word? She didn't even know him and yet she had been foolish enough to entrust him very sensitive information that literally would end her if he were to tell anyone. _Stupid! Stupid! What on EARTH made me think I could trust that guy!? I don't even know him!_

Emery was in the midst of further scolding herself when a light tap was felt on her back that almost made her jump out of her skin. She clamped a hand over her mouth as she felt herself almost let out a small shriek of surprise. When she looked up she was sincerely surprised; it was Jack's friend, David. Bright blue eyes looked at her with concern as his brows furrowed in curiosity. She didn't like the weird feeling she got in the pit of her stomach as she held eye contact with him so she looked away only to look back up at him if only to see what he wanted.

He remained silent for a few minutes because she guessed he expected her to say something but there was no way in hell that was happening so she motioned for him to speak first.

"Jack wanted me to come find you, he already got your papers." He said pointing to Jack he stood near the front of the line.

The older newsie was holding two stacks of papes and talking to some of the other newsies. Emery didn't respond at first, she couldn't help it she was shocked beyond belief. Why would he buy her papes _for_ her? You'd have to be some kind of moron to do that, every newsie wants more papes but he never buys another's share for them. It just wasn't something that was done.

"Come on." David attempted to lead her toward Jack.

She didn't budge, she only clutched her stomach which at this point was lousy with unease. This whole situation was so very strange she wouldn't have been surprised if some magic leprachaun of good fortune jumped out of her pocket to tell her that she 'good fortune is yours!' or something weird like that. And she'd believe him too! What she didn't believe was how smooth this whole thing was going for her. The fact that Jack bought her papers for her meant that he still had some sort of interest in her which meant that maybe he was going to make good on his offer today.

Emery took a hesitant step out of line before following David, from a small distance, toward Jack who was sitting on the wooden steps of the front desk. David stood by his friend while Emery halted a good size distance from Jack who actually smiled upon seeing her. He stood up and dropped the stack of papers in her arms.

"Don't worry there's fifty of 'em in there, I checked." He grinned in amusement as he saw her count them anyways.

He was right, all fifty of them were there just like she would get every morning. She started to feel guilty all of a sudden because he most likely paid out of his own pocket for these and she did NOT like to be given charity when she could help it. Putting the papers into her worn out white bag, she reached into her pocket and got out the money she was going to use to pay for the papers. Jack knew what she was going to do before she could even do it.

He held up his hand in protest. "No way kid, keep your money."

Emery frowned stubbornly and held out her money toward him anyways. He shook his head and put his hand in his pocket while the other one was busy holding his own stack of papes. The younger newsie was getting frustrated with his attitude so instead of asking nicely she decided to go about it in another way. She pulled his hand out of his pocket and put the coins inside before putting his hand back into his pocket and taking a step back in case he might slug her for touching him. The other newsies looked at her with either wide eyes, dropped jaws, or both.

They waited for Jack to give her a good punch in the face or something but much to their surprise he only laughed and lightly patted her cap.

"That was pretty pushy of you kid." He teased knowingly as his brows raised in amusement.

Emery fought the blush that threatened to overtake her freckled cheeks and only kept his gaze, maintaining the silence she had kept up through out the whole encounter. Jack pulled her toward him and put an arm around her shoulder before looking around at the other newsies.

"So whaddya guys think?" He asked, watching each of their faces carefully.

"I think he's got guts." Racetrack said first with a light chuckle.

"Yeah." Boots agreed.

The others weren't as agreeable and took a moment longer to study Emery before making their decision. She noticed Kid Blink especially eyeing her carefully but made sure only to glance at him for as long as she did with the others so as not raise any suspicion. It was a little hard for her not to stare at Kid, as rude as it sounded, because she had never met another kid who was blind in one eye. His eye narrowed at her when he caught her staring and she immediately turned her gaze toward the ground and almost flinched when she heard him make a disapproving sound.

"If you think he's good for it, them I'm for it." Kid finally said before crossing his arms.

Emery looked at him in surprise but just as quickly looked back to Racetrack as he began to speak. The last thing she needed was to lose one of their good opinions. As much as she hated to admit it she wanted very much to be in the newsie union, anything to make work just a little bit easier for her while to she had to do it. There were four newsies left; David, Crutchy, Skittery, and Mush. David seemed nice enough and Crutchy was even nicer, but she wasn't so sure about Skittery and Mush.

"Skittery? Mush? What do you guys think?" Race asked as the two newsies whispered with each other.

Mush and Skittery looked at each other before nodding and turning to face the others. Mush whispered something to Skittery before said newsie could say anything which in turn goaded a hushed response from him as well and they were back to whispering again. Racetrack rolled his eyes and slapped Mush in the back of the head to give the two a hint and get on with whatever they had to say. The delay wasn't helping Emery in the slightest, her heart was racing and she could feel the goose bumps forming on her slightly pale skin. Her green eyes flitted between the two restlessly but she stopped herself when she realized all the other newsies were still watching her and she was not going to look desperate in front of them.

Skittery spoke first. "I wanna know why he avoids the rest of us like we got some kind of disease."

Mush nodded in confirmation to Skittery's statement and looked to Emery for an answer. She held back the urge to swallow, a nervous habit, and looked to Jack desperately. He took his arm off her shoulder and swiped Race's cigarette before taking a drag and puffing out a fluid stream of smoke.

"Weren't youse morons listenin' to Davey yesterday? He's a mute, that mean ain't talkin' any time soon." Jack said as if it were _so _obvious.

Mush and Skittery looked at eachother with equal expressions of guilt before looking back at Jack to give him an answer. Emery couldn't help but feel a bit guilty herself. She knew Jack was lying to help cover for her but seeing their faces made her feel bad for lying in the first place but not bad enough to blow her cover. She also couldn't help but roll her eyes at his last statement, he had only found out yesterday what mute meant.

"Fair enough," Skittery answered first. "Ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"Yeah, he's alright." Mush added, giving Emery one last glance before looking to Jack.

"What about you Crutchy, whaddya say?" Jack asked.

Emery couldn't help but smile a little as Crutchy perked up at the sound of his name being mentioned. He hobbled over so he could stand a little closer to Emery, to get a better look at her no doubt. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking as he looked her over one final time.

"Well I don't see nothin' wrong with it, so sure." The boy said with a dopey grin that made Emery smile too.

She always liked Crutchy the most out of their whole group. He was witty with jokes and snappy comebacks but he was also very sweet and she felt like he was the most approachable out of them all. Sure David was nice too, but being Jack Kelly's best friend made a guy a little less approachable. Well, at least in her eyes it did. Speaking of which, David was the only one left and she was really hoping he was as nice as he seemed.

"That just leaves you David." Jack said airily as he exhaled another puff of smoke before handing Racetrack the cigarette.

David rolled his eyes and crossed his arms which at first made Emery's stomach flip because it made it seem like he was very against the whole idea in her opinion. However, what he said after was the complete opposite.

"Jack I'm the first one who agreed to it when you told us." He said impatiently.

Jack laughed lightly, gripping David's shoulder in a playful manner before giving it a light shove which caused the other newsie to grin at the gesture. Emery couldn't help but let herself smile at the charade and almost found herself giggling but immediately shut her mouth before any sound could leave it.

"Well then it's settled; Emery McKlenahan is officially a part of the newsie union." Jack decreed in a mock- official sort of tone that made Emery want to laugh.

Almost as if it were some sort of magic, the other newsies who had looked at her with such dissecting and skeptical eyes melted into playful and cheery young boys who were excited to meet a new playmate. They all shook hands with her and introduced themselves while she could only nod and smile as she still had to remain silent. She snuck a peek at Jack in the midst of it all and couldn't help but grin at him thankfully while he gave her a knowing half smile.

"Alright ya bums let's get out there and work." Jack said heaving his papers onto his shoulder.

The newsies all grumbled and moaned at the realization and followed Jack as they hauled themselves and their papers outside the gates of the distribution center. Emery looked up and noticed it was a little gray and grimaced slightly at the sight of it. The worst thing that could happen to a newsie was to get caught in a down pour. Heaven forbid their papers get soaked and they can't even sell them when the rain stops, that is if it does stop. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head from the sky to see David giving her a reassuring smile that almost made her heart stop.

"Don't worry, maybe it'll blow right over." He said in an attempt to comfort her.

She nodded quickly and walked a bit faster so she could get some distance from him. For some reason whenever he looked at her with those big blue eyes she couldn't think straight and she got the strangest feeling in her stomach. It made her nervous and she didn't like not knowing what this feeling was. All she did know was that it only happened whenever she was around him. _Even so, I shouldn't have walked away like that what if he thinks I hate him or somethin'. _

She rubbed her forehead roughly before stuffing her hand into her bag for a paper and tried to ignore how warm her face still felt. There was no time for distractions, she needed to get her head in the game and get to work. She also had to find a selling spot far away from the other newsies so she could advertise the headlines without having to worry about one of them finding out she's not mute. Once she was a good ways uptown she started shouting headlines in the best boy voice she could manage and began shelling out the papers to whoever was around.

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**So yeah I know I said this one was gonna have a twist but I guess this wasn't gonna be the chapter, maybe the next one(but probably the one after the next one, jussayin) ANYWAYS. I hope you liked this one even though it had no twist! xD**


	4. Author's Note

*AUTHOR'S NOTE*

**So yeah I know it's been a while since I last updated but I'm having a bit of trouble tweaking the next chapter so to give you guys a little somethin to hold you out I made a little-some-what-long one shot DavidOC story called Trial and Error. It's just a cute little short story in a College AU where Emery and David and all the newsies live in modern day New York. I hope it satisfies you until the next chapter comes out and again, I'm very sorry ._.'**


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